I'm a newbie too. I just bought two rain barrels from Amazon.com but haven't installed them yet. Just noticed an ad in the paper where the local hardware store was selling them cheaper (Berings hardware for those in Houston). Probably should have waited.

From what I've read, one issue to deal with is getting the water out of the barrel. Usually, the plan is for gravity to do that. So you want your rain barrels propped up a bit off the ground. I plan to put a couple of layers of pavers under mine to stabilize and to raise up a bit. You can also get a pump but I hope to keep things simple.

We very recently had new gutters installed so I thought that was a good time to start this project. I had the gutter people set up the end of the downspouts so they are terminated midway and don't extend all the way down. Also, end is in place (hopefully) aimed so it will nicely go into the rain barrel.

If you don't have gutters or if you want to start simply, you might consider some rain chains to direct some of that water off your roof into a barrel. See http://www.harvesth2o.com/rainchain.shtml

Another issue to deal with is mosquitas. You can purchase "donuts" to put in the barrels to keep the mosquitas under control. I haven't got those yet. See
http://www.composters.com/rain-barrels/mosquito-donuts_172_10.php"

I've done a little research. It is amazing what people are doing but at this point, I'm hoping to keep mine fairly simple. I plan to attach a soaker hose to the rain barrel and distribute water to nearby grass and garden.

Let us know how things go if you decide to go down this path.

for sure, its worth it!

we plan to go totally off-grid here within the next month,
or so, including harvesting all our rainwater

if you don't plan to drink it, its uber easy, just get
some guttering, and a tank of some sort, and bobs your
uncle!

we found a friend who know a guy selling a 250 gallon
potable tank on a trialer for 300 bucks, we jumped on it

its easy to add a spigot (sp) if you find a good deal on
a big trash can, you can cut into that stuff easy, and add
a hole for your downspout, and spigot

as long as you don't plan to drink it, it doesn't matter
if you buy a big trashcan

for us, it wasn't just about the money we would save

for us, it was about taking controll, knowing we could
get water without drilling a 7K well!

i say go for it!! and besides, you never know what the
future holds, in 10 years, you might be glad you have
another way to gather some water

theres tons of info on the web about it, a search should
bring up dozens of sites, do some pokin' around, see how
folks are doin' it

good luck!

tesa

regarding mosquitos, drop a couple of cheap goldfish
in that puppy, and they will take care of that toot
sweet!!

besides offering added nutrients to your water

we used to live with a guy that had two aquariums, and
i had a fit when i found out he was pouring that old
water down the drain!!

tesa

We have had a rain collection system for several years. It consists of a downspout from the house guttering going into a 55 gal. plastic barrel (free from a restaurant and scrubbed out well). We recently installed one on the workshop, and I have another barrel positioned to catch the rain that comes off a valley in the roof where we do not have guttering.
With 1/2" of rain, I get 165 gal. of water, and sometimes the barrels overflow (I try to get out and fill every container I can when I see the water approaching the top of the barrels). We don't have ours elevated, I just dip and carry (great for the biceps). When we add two or three to the barn, we will elevate those because the site will allow it.
Rainwater is better for plants than treated water. Mosquito dunks (little donuts of bacillus thuringesis from Lowe's) will take care of the biting bug problem--1/4 dunk per barrel, replaced when necessary has been sufficient for us.
Is it worth it? Oh, yes !!!

Free clean water for your garden? Why not! I'm going to collect it for my home's drinking water also because the well water minerals are too hard on my plumbing and equipment. But setting it up just for use in the garden is a cinch. You'll become a convert and start looking for other ways to collect and recycle water. There's something very satisfying and comforting about having water always on hand.

There's lots of info online, but why not put a water collection sales person to work for you instead? Call them up and they'll tell you everything you want to know, like how much water you can expect that size roof to gathter (there's a formula), what size tank would work best, how to filter out any leaves/debris, etc. Then call another one. It will be a quick education. I'm not sure where you live, but in Central Texas the go-to guy for water collection is Richard Hienichen in Dripping Springs who owns Tank Town. He has been in the game a loooong time, knows his stuff and loves to talk. Last I heard he even began bottling and selling his water. But any of them would be helpful. Here's a list of companies (Tank Town is on the list) - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/downloads/rwsuppliers.pdf

Or if you really want to talk to a salesman, then just call up or email Billy Kniffen, Tx. Ag Extension's water representative who is going around to all the counties educating folks on the reality of our water situation and how to collect that precious stuff. He walks his talk too.
His ranch out in Menard is operating exclusively on rainwater! I've included a link below.

Have fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rainwater Harvesting Info

Check on Craigslist too for barrels. There are always companies getting rid of perfect containers.

When the roof gets fixed and we finally have gutters again I'm putting in barrels. One on the upper deck to water those plants and several around the house, one in each corner would be good. And I'm going to put a couple next to the business across the alley, they've got the gutters and drains in place, I just gotta get it in the barrels.

Good luck and keep us up to date on the project.
I'm sure it will rain again one of these years. I've been doin the nekkid turtle dance.
Tally HO!

nekkid turtle dance, ya say??

hum, i'd be willing to give that a go

LOL

tesa

I think it's worth it, especially if you're able to hook the system up yourself.--Much, much cheaper.

I have four 75 gallon rain barrels purchased from my city and tomorrow my new-used 8'x 4' black polyethylene water tanks will arrive. I'm buying them from a neighbor.--His wife was the gardener in their family, and she passed away.

I'm going with a gravity-fed system so I had a friend/contractor build elevated platforms to put the tanks on. (He was careful to consider the weight of the filled tanks when building these platforms.) I could use a pump, but for me, the less stuff I own that can break, the better.

There are many on-line companies that sell rain water tanks/rain barrels, and it's my understanding you can also find barrels for next to nothing at car washes.--I've read car wash soap comes in them.

Your new metal roof is perfect for catching rain water, and the best part is that it's free. (That is, if we ever see it rain again.)

This is an interesting concept as well...

Oops, I forgot the link: www.plantsloverain.com

What great advice and recommendations! So I'm thinking it's something to be serious about. But as usual, I way undershot the thing, thinking it'd be simple. I believe some elevated barrels or containers might be the way to go. The Tank Town site revealed that a 1" rain would yield 550 gal of water per 1000 sq ft of roof. That's 1760 gal and over 14000 pounds of water off the shop - means plenty of water if it ever rains good, but it was an eyeopener about what to expect. Not sure the initial system will be to collect all that.
Most of you would probably guess my least favorite subject must have been English, but you'd be wrong. It was Fluid Dynamics. And if there is anything I can uhoh faster than a garden, it's plumbing. That is a huge factor on this project since it will be diy.

Didn't even know about the nekkid turtle dance! Dang, should have been doing that the last 5 years! Beach, Tesa - y'all hire out as dancers?

L

LOL! Janie's husband has done the "almost nekkid turtle dance".

Scroll down to the picture on the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: almost nekkid turtle dance

oh my god, i almost spewed my bloddy mary all over
the computer

thats funny

and yes, i like to have a bloddy mary or two on fridays

its my bloody friday drink

we're going to be camping at the property this weekend,
to finish up the building

i'll see if i can manage some nekkid bloody mary dancin'
in hopes of rain

tesa

Hi uhoh,

Surely didn't mean to scare you away. The plumbing, especially when just for use in the landscape, is pretty simple and straightforward even for uhoh plumbers.
But it's a good idea to gather the proper information first.

Isn't it amazing how much water a roof will collect? Yikes! And if you consider that water in these parts is more precious than gold...well...every home is a gold mine!

Please keep us updated on your progress.

Wow! Keep it up Tesa and Beach!! They're already predicting a 'moderate' rainfall up here the first of the week - here, let me get you another bloody mary!
Plantmaven - Janie's husband looked like Jimmy Buffet hightailing it out of Maragitaville in that leopard skin thong. whew - I might have poked my own eyes out if I had seen that in person!
Dragonfly, you couldn't scare me away - I'm too 'toopid. But, I'm going to follow everyone's advice and get all the information on it, and talk to some of those people in the business. The garden is on a slope and slightly above the shop floor - and for an 80' run of guttering, I think it take several downspouts to be able to handle it all. So pumps might have to be used somewhere.
A neighbor's house, a mile away but closer to town, burnt to the ground yesterday - the fire trucks were having to go into town to refill with water. Put thoughts of enlarging the pond back into my head. So for everyone out there living in the country, remember there aren't any fire hydrants around.
Be careful!
Lonny

I've been collecting rain water for years in a simple waste container, mostly for the house plants. We won't even drink the tap water here, so why would the plants like it? However, with the lack of rain this past year, I've had trouble with rats and mice drowning in the old lidless container. So this year we purchased a really nice (meaning really big and expensive) container with a lid that actually fits tight. Of course, I have to be ready for rain and have the lid off, but that's not too difficult since I am retired and here most of the time. And yes, those Mosquito dunks work well in the summer.

FYI - Do It Yourself Rainwater Collection Workshop

WHAT: FREE Workshop, "Cheap Rainwater Harvesting"

WHO: FLowWOOLF NATURALS & Ariel Permaculture House

PRESENTER: Doc Jody
Winner, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation Award Winner, "End-User'' category
Designated "Lowest End-User Residential Water Consumer" in the City of Sunset Valley.

WHERE: Sunset Valley City Hall, 3205 Jones Road, (park on-site) off South Lamer & Westgate. Across Jones from Toney Burger Stadium. Overflow parking at Stadium.

WHEN: SATURDAY, 14th MARCH 2009, 10:30 am - 12 Noon

COST: FREE. The public, incl. children, are welcome. ADA (handicap access) friendly parking/facilities.

ADVANCE RESERVATIONS: 423.1050 or yogaflow@swbell.net
COST: Donation $15.00 suggested for Ariel Permaculture House.

WEBSITE: www.docjody.com
DESCRIPTION: Would you like to learn HOW to install an ''EL-CHEAP-O'' rainwater catchment system & be able to DRINK rainwater without spending $12,000.00? How come "green" systems are so expensive, anyway? We ask ourselves that all the time! Join Barton Springs Conservation Award-winner Doc Jody sharing just how an amazing FEAT was accomplished, discussing 3rd book, "A Year of Drinking Purified Rainwater." Doc Jody was handed a $12,000 estimate for a potable full-house rainwater drinking system but designed & installed a homespun affair for under $600 that's practical, simple & safe: it works! Everything in this seminar is pragmatic, practiced currently or at one time by the author's family-- nothing preachy. At the end of this seminar you WILL KNOW how to construct a similar system. Simple, sustainable. Keep Austin Green.

ADVANCE RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED.

Thank you for the information, invitation, and the link dragonfly_wings!!! I can't get down there on Saturday but will certainly be checking on docjody.com and the books!
This and the other contacts mentioned in the posts have been really helpful. Now if I'd only thought of it before the 3 1/2 inches of rain. But still managed several gallons in buckets, tubs, etc.
must have been the nekkid turtle dancing.

Uhoh, I'd forgotten about he nekkid turtle dance!
That's some powerful mojo!

I haven't gotten my rain collection system set up yet either and all I've been thinking about is how much precious water I might have collected off my roof with a 4 inch rain. Boooooohoooooo! I would have been set for months!

Oh well. It WILL rain again...............I hope.

Glad those contacts were helpful.

You know sometimes rain collection business folk like to hold workshops for demonstration purposes, and they'll hook up with someone who needs a system and strike a deal. Sometimes they'll charge for participation in the workshop and can then afford to offer their services (design/labor) free of charge to the homeowner (minus material costs/or with discounted materials), or some such arrangement. Workshops like that are a win-win for everyone. Rain collection has been around a long time, but it may be seeing a resurgence due to our drought conditions.

Craigslist is the place to go :) I can vouch for that as my dad takes 55 gallon and 30 gallon barrels he gets and turns them into great rain barrels....he is in the Dallas area and I bring a stock with me to sell here in Austin when I can....rumor has it that Austin has some kind of rebate for rain water capturing systems....and these are cheap and easy (avg cost is $50)...I took advantage of the last couple of rain spells and filled up 2 55 gallon FAST and loving the garden water I have now...best thing is I put the lids back on after it rained so no worry on pest infestations